Campfire: Tales of the Strange and Unsettling

In this, we have for you a very important community project. Strange Semantics is an in-depth look at the language that we use to describe this incredible field that we find ourselves in. Terms like paranormal, supernatural, otherworldly, supranatural, supernormal, paraweird, and Fortean are examined through the input of 30 of the most fascinating people in the Fortean community. Podcasters, autho...

This week, we are talking about an absolute classic. The Pascagoula Abduction is a touchstone in the ufology community, and for good reason. On the evening of October 11, 1973, 42-year-old Charles Hickson and 19-year-old Calvin Parker told the Jackson County, Mississippi Sheriff's office they were fishing off a pier on the west bank of the Pascagoula River in Mississippi when they were abducte...

This week, we had the honor of chatting with professional folklorist, Luke Greensmith. He is a horror writer, video game developer, and the mastermind behind the Lukelore podcast. We discussed his unique upbringing in the UK in order to find where his fascinations with horror, fantasy, and folklore come from. This guy is completely fascinating, and we had an amazing time getting to know him. Go su...

This week, we’re discussing one of the most famous encounters in the cryptozoological canon. It was on a summer night in July 1924 that a group of gold prospectors in the Mount St. Helens area of Washington state found themselves face to face with a group of “mountain devils” on the trail ahead of them. After a harrowing chase through the trails they had forged, they barricaded themselves in the c...

Tonight’s first story follows two youngsters as they explore the storage unit of their recently deceased and very famous great-grandmother. We get a glimpse of the price that some pay for fame and fortune. A deal struck is not always a deal kept.    Our second tale is soaked in nostalgia. In a mid-90s video store, we meet Melissa, a 20-something employee who has a bizarre and terrifying encounter...

This week, we’re shaking things up! We recently put a call out on social media for Campers all over the world to send us their questions, comments, and curiosities! In this episode, we answer each and every one of them! From requests for our take on various Fortean phenomena to personal takes on everyday life situations, we’re getting into it.    Campfire: Tales of the Strange and Unsettling is cr...

This week, we’re sitting down to discuss a series of videos released by Carol Rainey, the wife of Budd Hopkins, that has had a massive impact on our view of the Linda Napolitano abduction case. Linda Napolitano was a simple New York housewife, at least until November 30, 1989, when in the middle of the night she was abducted by aliens and made to float above the Manhattan sky until she entered a U...

In October 1872, a small Georgia community was bursting with visitors and curiosity seekers in an attempt to discover the truth behind mysterious happenings at the family home of Allen Powell Surrency.   In what many consider to be one of the most documented ghost story in American history, the Surrency family home seemingly became the epicenter of a destructive entity.  From the benign, doors sla...

This week, we have a very special guest. You will probably recognize his voice from the gone but never forgotten Paratopia podcast that he hosted alongside the late great Jeff Ritzmann. He is also the sometimes host of Dreamland with Whitley Streiber. He is also the author of a handful of fantastic books like  I Am to Tell You This and I Am to Tell You It is Fiction  and  I Know Why the Aliens Don...

In August of 1925, a Polish family went on what they thought would be a simple weekend hike. Unforeseen weather conditions and a series of bizarre events led them down a path no one would have ever expected. A lone survivor would tell a tale that tested the boundaries of reason. What happened on that fateful day that left a childless widow to mourn the loss of her family for the rest of her days?...

This week, we finally pinned down the elusive Oscar Romo, host of the Induced Fear podcast. We have a thrilling talk about what we have most in common, mainly an unquenchable thirst for storytelling. We talk about how that love was handed down to us so graciously through our respective families’ oral traditions. We also discuss hauntings, poltergeists, wild UFO sightings, sleep paralysis, and dopp...

Linda Napolitano was a simple New York housewife, at least until November 30, 1989, when in the middle of the night she was abducted by aliens and made to float above the Manhattan sky until she entered a UFO. Believe it or not, events only get more strange from there! Join us as we try to make sense of this tangle of bizarre incidents. What is truth and what is a lie? Is this an elaborate hoax? I...

This week’s first tale explores the nature of self-definition. What is it to be a human being? What are we capable of? How do we reconcile the ends of the spectrum of human potential? These deep philosophical questions are explored through the medium of urban legend games and the brutality that they can create within us.  Our second story speaks to the gentler side of humanity. Love, empathy, regr...

In the late 1970s, the   Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO) received a report from a family in Eastern Colorado. Reports detailed over a year of near-daily encounters with everything from alien encounters and UFO sightings to Bigfoot attacks and shadow people. Not to mention the almost constant back track of an unidentifiable metallic hum and the random appearance of glowing translucent...

This week, we had the distinct pleasure of welcoming a new friend to show. It isn’t very often that you come across someone with a Ph. D. in Chemical Engineering that is assessing Forteana through a sociological lens but Chris Cogswell, the host of the Mad Scientist Podcast, is just that. We had an amazing talk about the development and societal implications of folklore throughout history, the imp...

This week, we’re discussing the Pukwudgie, a humanoid creature of Wampanoag folklore, found in Delaware, Prince Edward Island, Indiana, and Massachusetts’ Bridgewater Triangle! These fearsome little beasties are said to be 2-to-3-foot-tall with pointed noses and ears, and a thick patch of porcupine-like quills covering their backs! We examine this legend through the continued adventures of our int...

This week, we sat down with blogger and lifelong Fortean, Stephanie Quick. We discussed the influence of growing up in the midst of the Bay Area’s early-80s art scene, some of her early paranormal experiences, her near-death experience, and the meeting place between Western spiritualism and ritual magick. Stephanie is a brilliant and intoxicating person. I hope you find this conversation as entert...

The Rake is a creature believed to be a humanoid in appearance, with several references in folklore and horrific urban legends, originally appearing on the internet as a Creepypasta. The creature reportedly attacks humans for unknown reasons and often causes its victims great psychological trauma. Several theories as to its development Rake point towards internet threads and online discussions; ho...

This week, we had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Fred Andersson. He is the head editor of Sweden’s most streamed show, Spökjakt (Ghost Hunt), and takes a special interest in rarely discussed Swedish UFO sightings. In this episode, we really just wanted to find out what makes Fred tick. Turns out that may be the biggest mystery we’ve tackled so far, but we had a great time working at it...

Edward Mordrake  is the subject of an urban legend who was born in the 19th century as the heir to an English peerage who was born with a rare form of Craniopagus parasiticus called Diprosopus. He was born with a fully formed additional face on the back of his head. According to legend, unlike confirmed instances of this malformation, the face appeared to be sentient. It was reported that it could...

Happy New Year! 2021 has been an incredible year for us, so we decided to take a little time to look back on the ups and downs, the experience of making the show, and the progress we’ve made throughout. Thanks so much for your love and support. Here’s to another fantastic year!  Campfire: Tales of the Strange and Unsettling is created for adult audiences only. The content and discussion in this sh...

Tonight’s first story deals with death, mediumship, automatic writing, and the ethical considerations within each, from a perspective rarely explored.  Our second tale is a deep dive into the joys and dangers of lucid dreaming. Is an ability like precognitive dreaming a blessing or a curse? In this story, we explore the line between reality and dreams and find out how truly blurry it can become. ...

Black Eyed Kids are a legend of paranormal creatures that resemble children between the ages of six and sixteen. These creatures with pale skin and black eyes have reportedly been seen hitchhiking, panhandling, or at the doorsteps of residential homes. That’s just the beginning of the terror. Join us as we discuss one of the most horrifying legends to emerge in the last century. Are they ghosts? A...

This week, we had the pleasure of sitting down with writer and true Fortean, AP Strange. We discuss some of the most formative moments from his childhood, a few of his experiences with precognitive dreams, and his general outlook on Forteana. Enjoy!  Campfire: Tales of the Strange and Unsettling is created for adult audiences only. The content and discussion in this show will necessarily engage wi...

As detailed in her in 1996 book Encounter, Ms Cahill's case had all the hallmarks of the classic alien abduction story of the era: lost time, strange spaceships, bright lights, inhuman creatures and inexplicable marks on her body. But her story had something other alien visitations didn't. Independent witnesses who could back up her story. Along with her then-husband Andrew, who was in the...